Piadena was inhabited as early as prehistoric times, as proven by archaeological finds in the area. In the
Neolithic, primitive peoples lived in huts located on high ground and in lake settlements in the
Bronze Age. The etymology of Piadena is unknown: one relatively old version attributes the name to the
exarch of Ravenna, Giovanni Platina, who erected the castrum Platinae here in
686. Other historians believe that the center was founded by an Etruscan settlement. The locality is mentioned in a
990 deed by which the Cremonese bishop donated the castle to the Monastery of San Lorenzo in Cremona. In
1019, it was ceded by the Marquis of Tuscany,
Boniface of Canossa, to the bishops of Cremona. It was torched in
1306 by the Guelphs of Brescia and Mantua after being troubled for two centuries (13th and 14th century) by conflicts between
Guelphs and Ghibellines. After being occupied by the Gonzagas, it was passed to the
Visconti in
1348, who improved its defenses and erected watchtowers (the "torrazze di Salvaterra"), which can still be seen on the local coat of arms. It was seized by the Venetians in the 15th century but quickly recovered by the
Duchy of Milan. The
Sforza family bequeathed it to the
Sanseverino family in
1494. It was a fief of several families, including the Oscasali of Cremona and the Araldi. In the 17th century, Piadena was sacked during the war that pitted the Count of Modena against the Spanish. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Piadena shared the fate of the rest of the Lombard territory, from the first
Habsburg rule, to the advent of
Napoleon, and the establishment of the
Lombard-Venetian Kingdom. Significant was the contribution made by the people of Piadena to the revolutionary uprisings of the Risorgimento. Notable historic buildings are the former 17th-century Gerolimini convent, home of the town hall, and the 18th-century Magio Trecchi villa, where a nursing home for the elderly is in operation. In the town hall, which occupies the former Gerolimini convent, there is an archaeological museum displaying numerous prehistoric, Celtic and Roman artifacts. As of January 1, 2019, it merged with the municipality of Drizzona to form the new municipality of Piadena Drizzona.
Symbols By Presidential Decree of June 26, 2008, Piadena received its coat of arms and flag."Coat of arms in silver, to the two covered
towers, gules, bricked and windowed in black, united by the bridge in gules, bricked in black, with convex scaffolding, founded on the plain in azure, floating in silver, these towers accompanied at the point of honor by the waving bison in pole, azure, crowned in the ancient style in gold, engulfing the putto of flesh, hairy in black, with arms outstretched. Under the shield, on a bifid, fluttering list of silver, the motto, in capital letters of black, PROSPERA ET PROBATA PLATINA. Outward ornaments from common."The municipal coat of arms is composed of some significant emblems of local history. The two masonry towers joined by a bridge over the river allude either to the features of the tower named Salvaterra, which was to be located on the Delmona Canal on the road to
San Giovanni in Croce, or they allude to the two distinct defensive towers in the area, namely the Salvaterra Tower and the tower that was to stand near the Oglio River. Above the wall structure appears the unique Visconti coat of arms of a snake swallowing a man, a symbol of the victorious war exploits of the noble
Visconti family. Under the coat of arms appears the name of the municipality in the ancient form of "Platina." The gonfalone was a white drape with an azure border. ==World Heritage Site==